Wageningen - Wikiwand

Wageningen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋaːɣənɪŋə(n)] ^ⓘ) is a municipality and a historic city in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specialises in life sciences. The municipality had a population of 39,635 in 2021, of which many thousands are students from over 150 countries.

Quick Facts Country, Province ...

Wageningen
Municipality
Wageningen market square
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: City of Life Sciences
Location in Gelderland
Wageningen Location within the Netherlands Show map of Netherlands Wageningen Location within Europe Show map of Europe
Coordinates: 51°58′N 5°40′E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Gelderland
City right	12 June 1263^[1]
Government ^[2]
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Floor Vermeulen (VVD)
Area ^[3]
• Total	32.36 km² (12.49 sq mi)
• Land	30.42 km² (11.75 sq mi)
• Water	1.94 km² (0.75 sq mi)
Elevation ^[4]	9 m (30 ft)
Population (January 2021)^[5]
• Total	39,635
• Density	1,303/km² (3,370/sq mi)
Demonym	Wageninger
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode	6700–6709
Area code	0317
Website	www.wageningen.nl

Demographics

Inhabitants by nationality

71,68% is Dutch, 28,32% has a migration background.

Geography

Wageningen is situated on the north bank of the Nederrijn (the Dutch portion of the Lower Rhine) part of the Gelderse Valley [fy; li; nds-nl; nl; zea] and the Veluwe, of which the southwest hill is called the Wageningse Berg. Wageningen can be reached by car from highways A12 via the N781, A15 via the N233 and N225, and A50 via the N225, and from the Ede-Wageningen railway station via a 20-minute bus drive to the Wageningen central terminal (see below).^[6]^,^[7]

Topographic map of the municipality of Wageningen, July 2013 (click to enlarge)

History

Summarize

Perspective

The oldest known settlements in the Wageningen area were located north of today's town centre.^[1] They were mentioned as early as 828. During the early Middle Ages a small church was built on the hill east of the town. Several wood farms have been found near the top of the hill. In the twelfth century people settled at what is currently the Bergstraat. Close to Hotel de Wereld a stone floor has been found dating back to this period. After the construction of a dike to protect the city from the acidic water from the moors that then occupied the Gelderse Vallei (the current Hoogstraat), the oldest part of the present city was built to the south. The parts of the city north of the Hoogstraat were built later. Wageningen received city rights in 1263.^[1] The city was protected by a city wall and a moat, and in 1526 a castle was built. The castle was dismantled during the 18th century, but the foundations of three of the towers and part of the wall remain visible today.

The people, city, and institutions of Wageningen suffered greatly during World War II. The central part of Wageningen was destroyed by artillery fire soon after the German invasion of the country in May 1940. The town is also famous for its role at the end of the war: Wageningen was the site of the surrender of Oberbefehlshaber Niederlande supreme commander Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz, to I Canadian Corps commander Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes, on 5 May 1945, officially ending the war in the Netherlands. The generals negotiated the terms of surrender in the Hotel de Wereld, near the center of the city.^[1] Now, each year on 5 May, celebrated as Liberation Day in the Netherlands, Wageningen hosts a large festival. On this occasion, veteran soldiers parade through the city and are honoured for their service, and around 120,000 people^[8] visit the pop-podia around the city.^[9]

Education and research

In 1918 the town acquired its first institution of higher education, the Landbouwhogeschool Nederland (Netherlands Agricultural College), which was based on the previous agricultural college founded in 1876, and which later became Wageningen University.^[10] This initiated the development from a small historical town into a modern technological community, a process which still continues today.

Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR), including associated institutes, now employs about 7400 people.

Today, Wageningen is also the central city in Food Valley,^[11] the Dutch food & nutrition cluster concentrated around WUR, and comprising many institutes, companies and facilities in the food & nutrition field. Food Valley is regarded as the largest food & nutrition Research & Development cluster in the world. One such firm, Keygene, a plant research company in Wageningen, developed AFLP in the early 1990s and collaborated with Beijing Genomics Institute to sequence the entire genome of Brassica napus.

Sports teams

The city had its own professional football (soccer) club, FC Wageningen, which won the KNVB Cup twice.^[12]^[13] The club went bankrupt in 1992 and played its last match in May 1992 against NAC Breda.

The city is also home to the largest Korfball club in the country, KV Wageningen.

Traffic and transport

Summarize

Perspective

Wageningen is situated on the N225 provincial road, between Driebergen and Arnhem. The N781 provincial road connects Wageningen to the A12 national highway, to the north of the city. A small ferry (for cars, bikes, and pedestrians) crosses the Nederrijn to the south of the city, at Lexkesveer; from there, drivers can connect to the A15 national highway, via the N836 provincial road.

Several firms provide public bus service in and to Wageningen. From the Wageningen central bus terminal, lines connect to Rhenen, Tiel, Veenendaal, Utrecht, Oosterbeek, and Arnhem, and the Ede-Wageningen railway station. Further connections via bus, including to the Hoge Veluwe National Park and the Kröller-Müller Museum, also may be made at the Ede-Wageningen station. Bus service includes the following:^[14]

More information Line, Route ...

Line	Route	Carrier	Details
44	Wageningen – Rhenen NS – Kesteren NS – Lienden - Maurik - Tiel NS	Arriva
45	Wageningen – Rhenen NS – Kesteren NS – Ochten - Tiel NS	Arriva
50	Wageningen – Rhenen Station NS – Els – Amerongen – Leersum – Doorn – Driebergen-Zeist NS – Utrecht CS	Connexxion
51	Wageningen – Renkum – Heelsum – Doorwerth – Heveadorp – Oosterbeek – Arnhem CS	Breng
352	Wageningen – Renkum – Heelsum – Oosterbeek – Arnhem CS	Breng
53	Wageningen – Renkum – Heteren – Driel – NS Station Arnhem Zuid – Winkelcentrum Kronenburg	Breng
80	Wageningen – Rhenen Station NS – Veenendaal centrum – Veenendaal de Klomp NS – Renswoude – Scherpenzeel – Woudenberg – Leusden – Amersfoort CS	Connexxion
84	Wageningen – Wageningen Campus – Gelderse Vallei Ziekenhuis – Ede-Wageningen NS	Syntus Gelderland	Part of the Valleilijn
86	Wageningen – Bennekom – Ede-Wageningen NS	Syntus Gelderland
88	Wageningen – Wageningen Hoevestein - Gelderse Vallei Ziekenhuis – Ede-Wageningen NS	Syntus Gelderland	Part of the Valleilijn
N52 - Night bus	Arnhem Willemsplein – Wageningen	Breng	Only Saturday night

Politics

Municipal council

Composition of the Wageningen municipal council since 1982:

More information Municipal council seats ...

Municipal council seats
Party	1982	1986	1990	1994	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014 ^[15]	2018	2022
GroenLinks*	-	4	4	5	6	6	4	5	5	6	8
Stadspartij Wageningen	-	-	-	-	-	1	2	2	5	5	4
D66	2	2	4	4	2	1	2	6	5	5	3
VVD	4	4	3	3	4	4	3	3	2	2	2
PvdA	6	8	6	6	7	6	7	4	3	2	4
Connect Wageningen	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	2
ChristenUnie**	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
CDA	5	5	5	4	3	4	3	3	2	1	1
SP	1	-	-	-	-	-	3	1	2	1	-
PSP-CPN-PPR	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
RPF-SGP	1	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	23	23	23	23	23	23	25	25	25	25	25

*Participated in 1986 with the name PPCE, the abbreviation of PSP-PPR-CPN-EVP.
**Participated in 1998 as a combination of the RPF and the GPV.

Mayor

Wageningen's mayor Floor Vermeulen (m) (VVD), will be installed on Friday 18 June 2021.

Notable residents

Johannes de Raey (1622 in Wageningen – 1702) a Dutch philosopher, an early Cartesian
Gerrit Zegelaar (1719 – 1794 in Wageningen) a Dutch painter
August Falise (1875 in Wageningen – 1936) was a Dutch sculptor and minter of medals ^[16]
Willem Rudolfs (born 1886 in Wageningen) pioneer in the field of sanitary sciences at Rutgers University.
Li Edelkoort (born 1950 in Wageningen) a Dutch fashion and design trend forecaster ^[17]
Eline Flipse (born 1954 in Wageningen) a film director of documentaries ^[18]
Alexander Pechtold (born 1965), a Dutch politician and former local Mayor, lives in Wageningen^[19]
Jeroen Dijsselbloem (born 1966) a Dutch politician and economist, went to Wageningen University 1985/1991
Lisa Hordijk (born 1987 in Wageningen) a Dutch singer, won the second season of X Factor.
Laura Hospes (born 1994 in Wageningen) a Dutch photographer

Nikkie de Jager (born 1994 in Wageningen) a Dutch makeup artist, beauty vlogger, and co-host of Eurovision Song Contest 2021
Volkert van der Graaf (born 1969 in Middelburg, Zeeland), environmental activist and convicted left-wing terrorist and murderer, attended Wageningen University and lived at the Droevendaal student commune. In 2002, shot and killed politician Pim Fortuyn.

Sport

Aletta van Manen (born 1958 in Wageningen) a retired Dutch field hockey defender, team gold medallist at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Ed van Es (born 1959 in Wageningen) a former water polo player, competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Annelies Maas (born 1960 in Wageningen) freestyle swimmer, bronze medallist at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Jacqueline Toxopeus (born 1964 in Wageningen) a former Dutch field hockey goalkeeper ^[20]
Bart Voskamp (born 1968 in Wageningen) a retired road bicycle racer
Annemiek van Vleuten (born 1982 in Vleuten) a Dutch road racing cyclist
Botic van de Zandschulp (born 1995 in Wageningen) a Dutch tennis player, was in the quarterfinals 2021 US Open